


Tangle screaming

by 00FFFF



Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Blood, Dark, Gen, Hurt, Injury, Oh Dear, Oneshot, PTSD, Permanent Death AU, Post Civil War, greetings cyberdog, iskall what have you done, just regular dog man ren, no werewolf ren this time, season 6, stress is best mom friend, this is not a happy one i’m so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22683667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00FFFF/pseuds/00FFFF
Summary: The war is long over, everybody’s gotten used to life as normal again. The hermits quickly forget about the dangers of war, leaving the battlefield behind. But some traps still lay dormant, ready to go off at a moment’s notice.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 70





	Tangle screaming

The sun hangs low in the sky, its warmth slowly seeping into the horizon. Ren picks up his pace as he knows mobs will soon start to appear. He doesn’t have to get back to his base, being inside any building with a bed and a furnace will do for the night. He slips through a hole in the fence, entering what a year ago would have been an active war zone. Right now it’s just a shortcut. One that Ren has taken many, many times in order to cross the island just a little more efficiëntly.

It’s quiet. Of course it is. Ren doesn’t need his dog ears to tell him that no animal has dared to move back into the area. He hops over a trench, makes his way around the ever-burning fires, and continues his path through the tall grass. It rustles and tickles his face, but it’s familiar. He’s done this so many times. Though Ren can’t help his nerves rising; he’s cutting it pretty close, coming here so shortly before nightfall. The area isn’t lit up properly, and he wouldn’t be able to see any mobs in his current position. Ren stops and listens, but hears nothing. He’s almost on the other side of the field, his nerves calming down a bit. It’s quiet, and it’s peaceful. Ren sighs.

\--

The sound of an ear-piercing explosion bursts through the air as the world suddenly goes white. It takes a moment to register in Ren’s mind as he’s knocked away that that explosion was _close._ Ren hits the ground with his back, knocking all the air from his lungs. He groans but can’t hear his own voice. He can’t see, he can’t hear, and can’t feel anything. Only the smell of sulfur mixed with the smell of blood pierces his nose, imprinting itself in his memory.

God knows how long Ren lays there before he can make sense of it all. He finds himself shaking, clutching his sides. Ren tries to move, tries to orient himself but pain shoots through him from everywhere at once. As his senses return slowly the world feels numb and distant, but the pain in his chest and his legs and his head is _excruciating_. His vision is blurry, but the telltale color of blood is unmistakable. 

Through the ringing in his ears he can faintly hear the sounds of mobs making their way through the grass; towards him. _He has to get out of here._ Ren tries to move his legs but the pain that shoots up from them paralyzes him. He tries to turn himself around, clawing at the ground, mud under his nails. When did it start raining?  
Ren pulls himself forward. Away. Away from the mobs and towards safety. His tavern shouldn’t be far. He could make it. Warm blood flows down into his eyes, clouding his vision red. It takes more and more energy to keep his eyes open each time he blinks the liquid away.

His arms protest, stiff, cold, overused. He can’t go any further. Ren lets them fall down in front of him. Rocks and weeds poke into his body uncomfortably. His breaths are shallow and he’s cold, somehow burning up at the same time. He’s quickly losing grip on reality. Maybe it was for the best. He can’t feel the pain anymore, and he can’t tell in which position he’s laying. Ren feels himself melting into the ground. The ringing in his ears doesn’t stop, as he gives in to the darkness that edges in from the corners of his eyes, the world fades away. Ren finally gives in, slipping into numbness.

\----

Ren wakes up with a jolt, grasping at his side. His breathing is heavy. _Bandages._ He’s wrapped in bandages. He looks around the room, it’s awfully quiet and bright. Where is he? How did he get here? Where did the constant noise in his ears go?  
He spots Iskall in a corner of the room, sitting at a desk, buried in stacks and stacks of papers and heaps of metal and small redstone machines. Ren groans, “Iskall..?”

The Swede’s head shoots up, surprise and relief in his eyes. “Ren! Ren, you’re awake!” He abandons his desk, rushing over towards the bed Ren is sitting in. “How are you feeling, oh my god!” His voice cracks, though it sounds muffled through Ren’s right ear. It feels like something’s stuck in it. He twitches his ears, but only the left one moves. Confused, Ren brings his hand up to his right ear.

Metal. His hand meets cold, solid metal. Panic rises in his stomach, memories of blood and pain flashing through his head. Iskall grabs his hand carefully, squeezing it ever so slightly.  
“Listen, Ren. I know it’s a lot to take in, but... Don’t worry, okay? You’re okay now. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

Ren looks at his friend. Concerned, scared. “What- what happened to me?” He croaks.  
Iskall looks down at Ren with a mix of emotions swimming through his eyes. Sorrow? Pity? Sympathy? It’s making Ren dizzy. Iskall sighs deeply.

“We’ve marked off the civil war area for good. It’s not safe there anymore. Zedaph is breeding sheep to populate the area.”

Ren is silent. Iskall is still holding his hand.

Then it clicks. Ren’s heart races as he remembers. The blood, the pain, the numbness, his legs- _His legs!_ Ren lets go of Iskall and throws the blanket off of himself, onto the ground.

He can’t help the chuckle that escapes his mouth. This is absurd. This isn’t real, it can’t be it can’t be real. This is a dream, right? It has to be it _has to be it has to-_

Ren tries to wiggle his toes. He tries to bend his knees. He tries to shake his feet. His left leg responds perfectly.  
He brushes both his hands on his legs. He can only feel his left leg. _He can only feel his left leg._

“Iskall..?” The hermit grabs his hand again.

“It’s going to be okay, Ren, I promise.” Tears lace his voice. “Just like Doc turned out okay. Just like Python, and just like me. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to get on with life like normal. It’s going to be okay- It’s going to be okay.” It’s as if he’s trying to convince himself. His words sound even more muffled than before. Ren zones out, his words barely reaching his brain.

He can’t feel his leg. He can’t feel his ear.

He turns his head to look at Iskall, who smiles at him reassuringly despite the tears pouring from his eye.

\----

Iskall hesitantly hands him a mirror. Ren takes as deep a breath he can without hurting his chest. He wants to see. He _needs_ to see. He brings up the mirror in front of his face.  
Ren watches in disbelief. He watches as his left ear droops down, the right one staying stationary on top of his head. It’s made out of metal, closely resembling the other one. His eyes fall onto the rest of his features; he’s scarred all over. Abrasions and bruises that have started healing already. How long has he been out?

A deep, shaky breath escapes his mouth. He hands the mirror back to Iskall, who slips it into his inventory quickly to grab Ren into a hug. Ren holds on tightly, not letting go when Iskall squeezes him quickly, signalling that he was about to get up. Ren can’t let go; he needs to hold on for longer. Iskall doesn’t protest, and he sits down onto the bed, hugging Ren for as long as he needs.

Ren falls asleep with his head on Iskall’s shoulder. Only when his snores become louder does Iskall have the heart to let go and tuck the sleeping man in.

Iskall knows he should go back to work. He knows he could be helping Ren in a much better way right now. But he can’t tear himself from his side. What if he wakes up again? What is he has a flashback? He needs to be there. It’s the least he can do. 

\--

“You should sleep, too, luv.” A soft voice behind him says. Iskall looks up at Stress’ sudden arrival, the bags under his eye betraying just how tired he was.

“I don’t... I can’t.” He sighs. “I can’t sleep knowing that Ren is still hurt.” He gently brushes his thumb over the sleeping hermit’s hand.  
“I should get back to my research-” Stress stops him before he even has a chance to get up. She eyes both men with a concerned glance, shaking her head.

“Don’t think I don’t know how much you’re hurting too, Iskall.” Stress puts down another bed right next to Ren’s. “While ‘e’s been battling with his own body, fighting for ‘is life, you’ve been battling with your own mind.”

She’s right. Stress is always right, he can’t hide anything from her. Maybe that’s a good thing, though. He _is_ tired, and he _wants_ to sleep. But the nightmares- the images that plague his dreams... _The guilt._

He found Ren, that night. He saw the state he was in. He’s seen everything. He had to make that split-second decision to treat him there, or bring him back to his base. To stop the bleeding, or find his lost limb and see if it could be re-attached. Ren’s life had been in his hands. 

Stress takes Iskall’s hands in hers, pulling him from his thoughts and guiding him towards the neatly made bed. The soft wool blanket is all too inviting, and Iskall lets himself sink down into the mattress. He can’t bring himself to voice all his thoughts; he knows Stress is right, but he can’t leave Ren like this. He’s _his_ responsibility-

“And before you say anything- Don’t look at me like that, I know you were thinking it.” Stress offers a smile. “I’ll be watching him all night. I’ll watch the both of ya. Get some rest, you clearly need it.”

Iskall lays down, turning to face Ren’s sleeping figure. He looks peaceful. Stress gets up to turn off the lights.

Iskall furrows his brows in thought. It was going to be a long process, but it was going to work. It _had_ to work. Ren would be back to normal in no-time. He’d learn how to walk again, and Iskall would work with him, as long as it took, to perfect his hearing. The man’s ears were a delicate organ, he had noticed. The cybernetic replacement he constructed was going to need many enhancements and tweaks. But he was going to do it. He was going to help Ren. However long it took. It was his responsibility.

It was one of _his_ landmines, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like Ren has become an actual cyber dog. Heh. :')  
> This is really different from my other stuff, so I hope I did the idea justice! If you have any questions, let me know, I know my writing can be a bit vague -_^'


End file.
